Notice
by kate657
Summary: Everybody notices him but it's hard not to see someone who is always in front of you. When he opens his eyes and takes his first real look around, what catches his eyes is someone who will change his life forever.
1. Prologue

Title: **Notice**

Author: Katy

Rating: T

Disclaimer: All characters from _One Tree Hill_ are property of Mark Schwahn and those at Tollins/Robbins Productions and Warner Bros. Television Production Inc. All stories, original plotlines and characters are property of their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.

Primary pairing: Nathan/Haley

Summary: Everybody notices him but not everybody is as noticeable as others and when he opens his eyes and takes his first real look at his surroundings, what catches his eyes is someone who will change his life forever.

* * *

**Prologue**

Have you ever looked at a stranger- someone you never noticed before and wondered about them?

I never did. Until that fateful day, the first time ever in my entire life I was late for basketball practice, I saw her.

And I had no idea that just another day of my life was one of the worst of hers.

I was at my locker, speedily shoving my book bag in the locker that was annoyingly located on the side of the school that was furthest away from the gymnasium, and the damn door wouldn't close because my bag was overloaded with school books, as if I ever used them but that's a completely different, boring story.

Unfortunately for me, I had to take the time to pull my bag out, in the process, I accidentally emptied its contents all over the floor so I had to pick them up, putting them away one by one in my locker.

As I bent down to reach for my biology textbook, I heard a shrill voice scream, "You damn well better believe I am pissed off!"

Intrigued, I turned around to see who the voice belonged to, and to my surprise, Lucas Scott was in the very same hallway with a petite brunette.

Lucas is my half-brother, the product of my dad's relationship with his high school sweetheart, Karen Roe, who also happens to be the fiancée of my uncle Keith. Anyways, Lucas was conceived the summer after senior year of high school and my dad had been offered a prestigious scholarship to one of the top colleges in the state and on the advice of his former coach plus his own selfish motivations, he ultimately decided to honour his scholarship.

That top college is where he met my mother, Deb Lee Scott, the daughter of successful engineer turned businessman Freddie Lee. They hit it off, start dating and after a few months I was conceived. Dear old dad was in the same position he was before. Now, any person who believes the saying, "History repeats itself", might assume that my dad kicks my mom to the curb and went off on his merry way.

But he didn't.

He stuck around, married my mom and helped raise me. Aren't we a lucky bunch? Well, we were until my dad decided to move to Tree Hill, the town where he grew up and left his old flame to raise his son all by her lonesome.

So Lucas and I don't like each other very much for obvious reasons but for the most part, we manage to keep the drama down to a minimum. He joined the basketball team, I was pissed, I hazed him and then I stopped.

Of course, the fact that my girlfriend Peyton Sawyer dumped me for him might have persuaded me to reconvene the hazing but there's only one thing you need to know about that relationship- it was convenient. She is a cheerleader and I am a basketball player. It only made sense for us to spend time together because, hell, it beat being alone. It wasn't an epic at all.

Now that the history lesson is over, allow me to get back to issue at hand.

The petite brunette standing with my half brother with a cell phone attached to her ear and one hell of a furious expression on her face.

"You cannot be serious!" The brunette spat in the phone.

My brother stopped what he was doing and glanced at his companion curiously.

"Well, what the hell am I supposed to do?" The girl demanded of the other person in a very ferocious tone.

Her face suddenly went pale and then she pulled the phone away from her ear to glare at it in disbelief.

"Problem, Haley?" Lucas asked of her.

Haley was still glaring at the phone. "She hung up on me!" she exclaimed.

"Who did?" Lucas asked.

"My mother," Haley replied.

"You were talking to your mother like that?" Lucas asked in alarm.

"Damn right I was," she retorted.

"Why?"

"They sold the house!" Haley exclaimed.

Lucas dropped his books on the floor and stared at her. "Are you talking about the house you live in?" he asked.

"The very one," Haley replied. She put her phone back in her purse and helped Lucas pick up his books.

"Why would they do that?" Lucas asked.

Haley scoffed. "They said that they couldn't afford to keep paying the bills for the house _and_ the RV with gas prices being what they are these days so they had to let one go."

"But you live in the house," Lucas pointed out.

"Oh, but I have a job so I can get a place of my own," Haley replied sarcastically.

"They expect you to rent an apartment?" Lucas asked.

"Yes, they do, and it's ludicrous because I can't pay rent and live off of my damn café cheque!" Haley exploded.

"Well, there's got to be time to talk them out of it," Lucas said.

Haley shook her head. "Oh, no, they sold the house, moved out and put my stuff in storage all in the span of a weekend. I knew I shouldn't have slept over at Peyton's to help cover for the two of you!"

Lucas looked at her apologetically. "I'm sorry but how were we supposed to know your parents were going to evict you?"

"Because they're not _parents_, they're _my_ parents!" Haley retorted.

The girl had a quick mouth that was for sure.

Haley groaned as she slumped against the lockers. "This cannot be happening," she said a dozen times as she sunk to the floor.

Lucas sat down beside her and put his arm around her. "I'm sure my mom will let you stay with us," he said.

"I will ask her and be eternally grateful if she says yes, but that's not what I was talking about," Haley replied, leaning into him for comfort.

"Your parents," Lucas guessed.

"Uh-huh," Haley murmured, hugging him back now. He tightened his arms around her before she finally pulled away and they both stood up again. "I mean it is one thing for them to be absentee parents. That I can deal with because my parents are crazy and when they are around, nine times out of ten, I wish they weren't."

Lucas cracked a smile as he locked his locker up, knowing they were going to start to leave soon.

"But to actually pack up their things and sell the house while I still have at least one full year of high school ahead of me is taking things a little too far," she said.

"Your parents have never been around," Lucas reminded her, probably trying to get her to think more positively.

"Yes, but at least before, I had a house to live in and they did the occasional pop-in," Haley said. "Now I'm homeless and practically an orphan to boot!"

"My mom loves you like a daughter. She will most definitely take you in," Lucas tried again.

"But Karen is not my mother, she's yours," Haley said.

"Don't you love my mom?" Lucas asked, stopping dead in his tracks and turned to glare at her.

Haley glared back. "Of course I do but for god sakes, Luke, my parents just abandoned me so you'll have to forgive me if I'm not exactly counting my blessings right now!"

"What do you want me to say?" Lucas asked.

"What?" Haley asked.

"What could I possibly say that would make this situation any better for you?" Lucas asked.

"Luke," Haley started to say as she realized she had really hurt her friend's feelings.

"I'm doing the only thing I can think of and that is to make you see that you'll survive without your parents because I don't know what I'd do if my mom ever walked out on me," Lucas said.

"I'm sorry," she said.

He nodded and shrugged. "We're certainly a pair, aren't we?"

"I hope you mean a pair of _friends_, Luke, otherwise you're in big trouble," Peyton Sawyer said when she snuck up from behind them.

"Oh, don't worry, Peyt, you're still the only girlfriend for him," Haley said.

"Please, Hales, I'm not worried about you taking him away," Peyton said.

"Like she could," Lucas said.

Haley cringed at the thought. "As if I would ever want to," she said.

Then something seemed to occur to Peyton because she turned to look at Lucas with a curious look in her eyes. "Shouldn't you be at practice, babe?"

Lucas' brow furrowed as he began to shake his head with the idea that practice wasn't about to start for another fifteen minutes until he glanced at the clock and realized that practice had already started. "Damn it, I gotta go!" he said as he pecked Peyton on the cheek, clapped Haley on the shoulder and ran down the hallway.

I still linger to watch the interaction between Haley and Peyton. I knew I had a few more minutes until my coach would kill me and even then, there wasn't much he could do about it.

"So what was that ruckus I heard while I was walking down the hallway, something about your parents selling something?" Peyton asked.

"That would be the house," Haley replied, gathering her own things out of her locker and shoving them into her book bag.

"They sold your house!" Peyton exclaimed in a screech that seemed to pierce my eardrum.

"Yep, they sure did," Haley said, swinging her bag onto her shoulder and shutting her locker, forcefully locking the lock on it.

"What are you going to do?" Peyton asked.

"Not sure exactly but a friend told me not to lose hope," Haley said and their chatter began to fade as they rounded the next hallway, now fully out of earshot.

That happened last week and I still can't stop thinking about her.

Since then, I've learned that her last name is James and I've noticed she's in three of my classes.

Noticing people was something I've never really had to do.

I've always been noticed by other people first.

Now for the first time in my life, I've noticed someone and I intend to find out more about Haley James.

* * *


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"This is all of your stuff?" Peyton asked as Lucas lugged in the last of seven suitcases one morning before school.

"Pretty much," Haley replied.

"What about furniture?" Peyton asked.

"The movers aren't here yet," Haley explained.

"Yeah, there was no way I was going to lug all that stuff in on my own," Lucas replied.

"You couldn't have asked Skills, Fergie, Junk and Mouth to give you a hand, Hales?" Peyton asked.

"They are your friends too," Lucas added.

"Why would I when I already hired the movers the day I was kicked out?" Haley asked.

"So you wouldn't have to pay them," Lucas replied.

"My parents covered it," Haley explained.

"I thought they said you needed to pay for things yourself," Lucas said, looking at her strangely.

"They did," Haley said and a mischievous smile spread across her face.

"Then how could they have paid for the movers?" Peyton asked, catching the look on her face.

"I memorized their credit card numbers a few years back," Haley replied.

Peyton started laughing. "Are you kidding?" she asked.

"No, I put it my dad's visa," Haley replied.

"What are you going to say to him when he finds out?" Lucas asked shaking his head fearfully because he knew her father had a temper. "He's going to be furious."

"That he should've thought about that when he sold the house and abandoning me," Haley replied.

"Dude, living with you is going to be so fun!" Peyton exclaimed, raising her hand for a high five.

Karen had said that Haley could move in with her and Lucas but when she found out that Lucas would be moving to the couch instead of having his own room, she had decided to take Peyton up on her offer to move in with her where they could both have their own rooms.

"But I doubt I'll be hearing from him," Haley said.

"It's his money, Hales, he's going to call," Lucas said, nodding.

"That doesn't mean I'll answer," Haley said.

"What?" Lucas asked.

"Oh, she's not talking to her parents," Peyton explained.

"Just because the team is still warming up, does not mean that you have an excuse to show up fifteen minutes late to practice!" Coach Whitey Durham of the Tree Hill Ravens, exploded, glaring at his star player, Nathan Scott, furiously.

"I'm sorry, Whitey," Nathan said.

"Calling me Whitey is enough for a week's worth of detention, Nathan, and you've already got enough problems so watch it," Whitey said.

"Sorry, Coach," Nathan said.

"That's better," Whitey said.

"Uh, can I ask what you meant by enough problems?" Nathan asked, hoping that he was referring to being late for practice.

"Well, aside from the fact that you're not playing in tonight's game because of your tardiness, being disrespectful, you're awfully close to failing both history and math," Whitey said.

Nathan wondered how Whitey knew that when report cards didn't come out until the end of the week. "I am?" He played dumb.

"Yes, you are. All C's and D's, not a single A or B in sight," Whitey replied.

"That's not good," Nathan said.

"No, it's not, and if you don't do something to start changing it, I'll have to pull you from the team," Whitey said.

Nathan looked up at him fearfully. "What _can_ I do?"

Whitey smiled down at him mischievously. "I'm glad you asked," he said.

"Why?" Nathan asked.

"Well, after I saw your grades, I took the liberty of signing you up for the tutoring program," Whitey replied.

Nathan glared at him. "What gave you the right to do that?"

"I simply explained that you were busy in practice and asked me to sign you up for a tutor on your behalf, and I managed to nab the best one in your grade level to help you," Whitey said.

Translation: Whitey had signed him up with the nerdiest seventeen-year-old in all of Tree Hill.

"She's expecting you in the tutoring centre after school today," Whitey said.

"What about practice?" Nathan asked, wondering why the coach had just finished lecturing him about the importance of practicing when he had arranged for him to miss yet another practice the very next day.

"You're not playing in the game tonight so you have nothing to practice for," Whitey replied.

"So what are you up to after school today, Hales?" Lucas Scott asked of his best friend when he heard her lean against the locker in between theirs.

"Tutoring," Haley replied.

Lucas shut his locker door partway so he could see her. "I thought today was your day off." He was pretty sure that Fridays were the only days Haley didn't spend tutoring other students after school.

"Not anymore," she replied frankly. She fidgeted with the strap of her book bag, readjusting it so it didn't choke her anymore. "Some player on your team is close to being ineligible to play so I was retained to tutor him."

"Coach asked you to tutor someone?" Lucas asked, wondering why Whitey would go to so much trouble when it was already mid-semester.

"No, asking me would imply that I had a choice in the matter," Haley replied bitterly. "They acted like I don't have my own homework, my original tutorees' homework and my job at the café to deal with."

"I'm sorry, Hales," Lucas said. "I know you don't like being pulled into school crap like that."

"I don't mind helping him out, Luke, it's the having my hand forced into it that I mind," she replied, finally just dumping her bag on the floor angrily, "and you have nothing to be sorry for."

"What did they threaten you with?" Lucas asked.

Haley's eyes burned bright with anger when she looked up at him to respond. "Well, you know I'm practically a shoo-in for valedictorian next year so that means I'll be awarded the Lewis Scholarship and that is my ticket out of here," she replied, slamming her fist against the locker.

"Yeah, you've been working for that scholarship for years," Lucas replied, nodding.

"Well, Principal Turner warned me that if I didn't tutor this student even though I already have a full load, he'll find me ineligible for the scholarship because I don't show enough school spirit," Haley explained.

"You're kidding," Lucas said.

"He held my entire future over my head, Luke, all because some jock couldn't do his homework for half a semester," Haley fumed.

Lucas stared at her in disbelief. "You're not kidding?" He couldn't believe that Whitey and Turner would stoop that low.

"The nerve of Turner accusing me that I don't have enough school spirit because I didn't volunteer to tutor some over privileged ass who's had everything handed to him on a silver platter," Haley said. "What does he think I do with the other five students I tutor, finger paint?"

"I think he meant that you're not on any teams or any clubs," Lucas replied.

"I'm in the tutoring program," Haley exploded angrily.

"Would it really be that bad to tutor this guy?" Lucas asked.

"For me, yes but it'd apparently do wonders for the Ravens' undefeated season," she replied.

"What if he really needs help?"

"Then he should have asked me himself, not sent the faculty after me with pitchforks."

"I still can't believe that Whitey was a party to that," Lucas said.

"Actually, he wasn't there when Turner threatened me with the scholarship," Haley replied.

"Then he doesn't know the measures Turner used to get you to tutor this guy," Lucas said.

"I guess not, but I doubt he'd care if it means his precious player will be able to play in the games," Haley replied.

"Nah, he would care," Lucas said, shaking his head. "He doesn't give special treatment to his players."

Haley raised her eyebrows at him skeptically. "Then why volunteer this student for tutoring in the first place?" she asked.

"Maybe he just wants the guy to get his grades up so he won't have to kick him off the team," Lucas guessed.

"It's all moot since I'm tutoring him," she remarked.

"What's his name?" Lucas asked.

Haley shrugged. "Beats me but I'll find out in about fifteen minutes," she said, checking her watch.

"Oh, I thought you might want to watch us practice," Lucas said.

"Now you know that if I went to practice, I'd be reading five minutes after I got there," she said, laughing at the notion that she would actually want to watch the basketball team practice. "The games are the gold for me."

"So you're actually coming to Saturday night's game?" Lucas asked.

"If your mom doesn't schedule me to work, yes," she replied.

"But if Mom works then she can't come," Lucas realized.

"It's either your best friend or your mother," Haley said.

"You know, I never thought the fact that you two work together sucked until now," he said.

"Hey, be thankful that your girlfriend is a cheerleader, otherwise she wouldn't set foot into the gym at all," Haley said.

"Speaking of, she's still at practice right now so I'm going to go early so I can watch her," Lucas said, quickly putting his books away.

"What about me?" Haley asked, pointing to her watch to show that she still had ten minutes.

"Go to tutoring early," Lucas suggested.

Haley folded her arms across her chest stubbornly. "Maybe I'll just ditch the session," she said.

Lucas looked at her doubtfully. "You wouldn't dare do that to one of your students even if you are being forced to tutor him, Haley," he said.

"Yeah, I know," she sighed with defeat. "Being me sucks sometimes." Haley retrieved her bag from the floor and swung it back onto her shoulder and clapped Lucas on the shoulder. "See you, Luke."

"Have fun," he called to her retreating form in a singsong voice.

Ten minutes later, Nathan pushed the door to Tree Hill High's tutoring centre open, wondering how he could make Whitey pay for this. If he was going to force him to be tutored, the least he could've done was let him choose which tutor he got.

A cute and book wormy freshman was the best choice. Those girls practically threw themselves at his feet so it wouldn't be difficult to get them to do his homework for him or- if need be- steal a key to the tests from them.

He looked at the sign-in chart on the whiteboard at the front of the class, perfectly aware that a group of girls were ogling him in the back corner; probably wondering what he was doing there.

He found his name at the bottom of the sheet and prepared himself before he looked to see who his tutor was. He used his index finger and ran it across the page horizontally to the name under "tutor" and his brow wrinkled at the name: H. James.

How did he know that name?

"Do you need help with something?" A girl asked him and when he turned around to face her, he knew she was one of the girls from the corner.

"Uh, maybe. I'm looking for my tutor," he replied.

"You're here for tutoring?" Her voice was full of hope, like maybe she could be his tutor or something. She looked at the sheet and sighed. "H. James."

"Yeah, can you point the person out for me?" Nathan looked around the room desperately. He thought he knew everyone at the school, but he didn't recognize even half of the kids in the room.

"Sure, Haley's right over there by the window," the girl replied, pointing to a circular table by a remote window in another corner of the room.

"Thanks, Lisa," he said. He knew her name from her friends giggling in the corner.

Her face brightened. "You're welcome, Nathan," she said as he manoeuvred around her and walked away.

He approached Haley quietly so he wouldn't alert her to his presence. He recognized her now as the girl that had bitched at her mother on the phone for selling their house while she still lived in it the week before.

"Haley?" he asked, saying her name as if they were friends.

She looked up at him after she caught her breath. "That would be me," she said.

"I'm Nathan," he said and extended his hand out so they could shake hands.

Haley stared at his hand and rolled her eyes. "I know who you are but I didn't realize you knew who I was." She put her book down on the table and looked at him expectantly.

"It says there that you're my tutor," he replied, pointing to the whiteboard.

"You're the jock I'm supposed to tutor?" she asked incredulously.

He stared at her. "Excuse me?"

She laughed bitterly. "Well, no wonder Turner threatened me," she said to herself.

"What do you mean, he threatened you?" Nathan asked.

"Oh, like you don't already know," Haley spat disbelievingly.

"I don't," he said honestly.

She studied him closely. "You're sure you don't know about how the principal said that if I didn't tutor you, he'd pass me over for a scholarship I've been working towards forever?" It was obvious by her tone that she didn't believe him.

His jaw dropped. "I had no idea that I was signed up for tutoring until this afternoon when Coach called me into his office," he replied. But he wasn't surprised that the principal had forced her hand.

The Ravens were undefeated and basketball was all that mattered in Tree Hill.

After what seemed an eternity of cold silence, she looked up at him with those hazel eyes of hers. "Are you really in trouble or are you just slacking off?" she asked, her eyes moving to the seat across from her.

He sat down and put his bag on the table. "Why?" he asked.

"Because if you're just slacking off, you don't really need my help and we're both wasting our time," Haley said, taking a small sip of water. "But if you're struggling and have been too busy or scared to ask for help, then I'll tutor you."

"I slack off," he replied slowly.

Haley didn't look the least bit surprised but looked at him expectantly, as if she sensed there was more to the story. "But?"

"But it's not because I'm lazy, it's because I don't understand the material," Nathan explained.

"Okay, I'll help you out," she nodded. She pulled something that was sandwiched between her own books out and handed it to him. "This is a study guide the teacher made for math lessons this week."

He put it down in front of him. "I'm supposed to finish this?" His voice trembled like he was scared that she would find out that he was dumb.

"No, you're supposed to circle what you don't understand," she replied.

He flipped open to the current day's stuff he remembered being on the chalkboard.

"Start at the beginning," Haley said.

"But this is the stuff we covered today," he said, pointing to the sheet with his pencil.

"Yeah but in order to do that, you're going to need to understand yesterday's work and to do that, you're going to need to know the stuff from the day before and so on," she replied, smiling at him as she pointed out a problem that involved some of the lesson from yesterday in the equation.

"Crap," Nathan cursed as he began circling almost everything on the page.

"Take your time," she said gently.

When he was finished, he handed her the work sheet and she looked it over, not emitting any emotions that she might have been feeling whatsoever. When she had finished reading it over, she nodded and tore the thing up.

He stared at her. "What are you doing?" he asked, looking at the work he had just completed.

"Teacher's study guides are so rigid that the tests are more helpful," Haley said.

"So?" he asked.

"I don't use them," Haley replied simply and retrieved a sheet from her own bag. "This is a study guide I made up based on the same work."

He looked it over and noticed that there were more details written on the page, including formulas for certain equations. "And this is what you're going to use to teach me with?"

"Yes," Haley said, standing up and sitting down in the chair right next to him, "One problem at a time."

She started to lay the first problem out in terms that he actually grasped. When she was done, he got to work on the problem and she read her book while she waited for him to finish. He was amazed that she didn't hover over him while he worked.

He handed the sheet to her a few minutes later. "Good job," she said, handing it back to him.

"Its right?" he stared at her in disbelief.

"Yep," she replied.

By the end of the session, they had caught him up to the current day's work.

"Now, just work on today's homework tonight and I'll mark it at lunch if you remember to give it to me," she said.

"Okay," he said, putting the sheet in his bag.

"See you tomorrow, Nathan," she said, standing up and gathering her own things together.

"Thanks, Haley," he said gratefully.

"You're welcome," she said.

Then they both went their separate ways.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

"You weren't playing Saturday," a voice said from behind him.

Nathan didn't need to turn around from his position on his front yard basketball court to know whom the voice belonged to. There was no mistaking the cheeriness of Brooke Davis, Tree Hill High's head cheerleader and his street's resident gossip.

He and Brooke had grown up living across the street from each other since his family had moved to Tree Hill. Brooke was the girl behind the red door and he was the guy who avoided that door at all costs.

Brooke was nice to him, well, most of the time and he did consider her a friend but he just didn't like the type of games she played- telling other people's secrets just because she could or turning her back on a certain friend because she managed to snag a guy that Brooke had had her eye on.

Throwing the basketball onto his lawn, he turned to look at her. "What do you want, Brooke?" he asked.

"I want to know why the star player wasn't at the game against Cove City," Brooke replied, walking closer to him but not too close because he was gross and sweaty from playing basketball in the sun all afternoon and that would ruin her designer clothes.

"I thought Lucas was the star player in your eyes," Nathan said, evading the issue of his absence at the game.

"I said he was the _hottest_ player on the team, not the best," Brooke corrected.

"Okay," Nathan nodded, not really caring either way. He didn't need someone to tell him that he was a better player than Lucas because he knew that he was. For one thing he was more committed to the game than his brother was.

"Your brother's skills don't hold a candle to your talent," Brooke said with a smile.

"Now, you're trying to make me feel better," Nathan said, narrowing his eyes at the brunette.

"I'm only telling you what you already know," Brooke replied, shrugging innocently at his accusation.

He stared at her, not buying her feigned innocence. "I know you, Brooke. So I repeat, what do you want?"

"I wanted to clear up some confusion," Brooke replied cryptically.

"What are you talking about?" Nathan asked.

"Well, some of the cheerleaders noticed you weren't at practice on Friday either and a friend spotted you in the library with an unfortunate-looking girl," Brooke began to explain.

Clearly, that "friend" was jealous if she described Haley James as looking unfortunate. "Uh-huh," Nathan nodded, pretending to go along with her.

"You don't want people to think you're turning your back on the game for some chick, do you?" Brooke asked.

Nathan actually smirked at her. "Are you threatening me?" he asked.

"Of course not, I'm just warning you that the _truth_ can come out or-" she started to explain.

"Or your version can come out?" Nathan raised a brow at her.

"Not my version, my friend's, but other than that, yes," Brooke replied.

"I can take care of myself," Nathan assured her.

"But can she?" Brooke retorted.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Nathan demanded, not liking anyone threatening Haley and in the back of his mind he knew it was weird for him to get so protective of his tutor, a girl he had just met a week before despite his latent preoccupation with her.

"That girl was seen with you while you were supposed to be in practice," Brooke said.

"And?" Nathan asked.

"You're a smart guy, Nathan, well, kinda," Brooke said, pretending to dust off her denim jacket. "Why don't you figure out what comes after and?" Then she was walking away.

"Brooke," Nathan called after her.

Brooke turned around with a triumphant smile on her face. "Yes?" she asked.

"Haley is my tutor," Nathan replied and then explained how Whitey had signed him up for tutoring so he wouldn't have to kick him off the team.

Her features softened and she nodded in understanding. "I won't tell anyone," she said, signalling that she would not tell people that he needed tutoring.

"Thanks," he said and walked over to grab his basketball.

Brooke was already gone by the time he turned back around to say goodbye to her. "Oh, well," he shrugged and threw the ball to the basket, not surprised when it went through the hoop.

"I'm off to tutoring," Haley said as she untied the apron from around her waist at Karen's Café, the establishment owned by Luke's mom where she was a waitress.

"On a weekend?" Lucas looked up from his food and his brow furrowed in confusion.

"Yes, I'll be at the library," she explained to Peyton.

Peyton nodded from beside Lucas. "I'll leave the door unlocked for you."

"And we're going tomorrow to get that key," Haley said, glaring at Peyton who chuckled in amusement.

"I was going to get it today," she defended.

"But you didn't so we're going together tomorrow," Haley retorted.

"We have plans tomorrow," Lucas said.

"Not anymore," Haley shrugged at him. "Bye."

Nathan was sitting down on the bench at the docks that Haley had told him to meet her at with is books open, trying to figure out the only math problem he had had trouble with after their Friday session.

He heard a phone ring behind him and turned around to see Haley dressed in jeans and a light blue care bear shirt with her typical jean jacket on over it, but not done up. She was reaching in her purse for her cell phone, the irritated expression that had crossed her face as she appeared to be looking at the caller id not lost on him.

"Hey, this is Haley James," Haley began in a monotone as she nodded to him in acknowledgement. "I can't get to the phone right now so leave your name and number in your message after the beep and I'll get back to you."

Nathan's brow furrowed in confusion as he wondered why she was pretending that she wasn't on the other end of the line.

"Beep," she said in high-pitched tone and then snapped the phone shut, ending the connection with whoever was on the other line.

"What was that all about?" he asked, hiding his amusement with the situation for fear that she would get mad at him if she caught him laughing at her.

Haley's face had softened at his question and her eyes had lost some of their anger as she shrugged. "I didn't feel like talking," she replied simply.

"So you pretended to be your answering machine's outgoing message and then hung up on the person?" Nathan asked, raising a questioning brow at her. "You could've just not answered."

"It was my dad, okay?" Haley replied.

Nathan nodded in understanding. He didn't feel like talking to his own father ninety percent of the time so he knew all too well what the frustration in Haley's voice meant. "Okay."

"And I'm not very happy with him right now," she added.

He was already aware that her parents had sold her house on her, forcing her to go begging for a place to live and surviving on her part-time job salary but he figured she would be embarrassed if she knew that he had overheard her meltdown in the hallway.

"Enough said," Nathan said.

Haley looked at him in surprise. "That's it?" she asked.

"Yeah," he replied.

"You're not curious as to why I don't want to talk to him?" Haley asked.

"I figure you have your reasons and I understand not wanting to talk to your father more than you think," Nathan said.

Haley cocked her head to the side as she eyed him knowingly. "I know your dad is an ass, Nathan. Lucas told me all about it."

"Lucas doesn't know what he's talking about because he didn't grow up with Dan as a father," Nathan snapped.

Haley blinked several times at the harshness of his tone. Clearly, she had hit a nerve. "I'm sorry," she said softly.

He looked at her and realized he had been too severe. "So am I," he said apologetically. "I know growing up without a dad must've been hard for him but he doesn't know what Dan can be really like."

Haley reached forward and put one of her hands over his in comfort. "I know about some of the things he's done to you," she said.

He looked up at her. "How?"

"Peyton told me he is pretty hard on you," Haley replied.

"Right," Nathan said, nodding as he realized that Peyton and Haley were best friends. "Peyton has heard both sides."

"Defended your side too," Haley said.

"That was nice of her," Nathan said, surprised by the information. "I don't deserve loyalty after how I treated her."

"I thought you two were friends now," Haley said.

"We are, kinda," he replied.

"My parents sold my house," Haley admitted to him suddenly, not even aware of the reason she had disclosed that information but knew that she couldn't leave the story half finished.

"While I still lived there and then left me to fend for myself," she finished.

Nathan looked at her carefully. "Your parents suck," he said bluntly.

Haley smiled in amusement. "They really do," she agreed.

"Don't you have brothers and sisters?" Nathan asked.

"Uh, yeah but they're all out on their own," she replied. "I'm the youngest."

"So they just up and left with no warning?" he asked in astonishment.

"Well, no, not really," Haley said, shaking her head. "After my sister Taylor moved out, my parents started going on trips to see our siblings and then for vacations and then various other reasons until one day, they were just gone."

"Parents never stick around these days, do they?" he asked.

"Not mine," Haley replied.

"My mom either," he said.

"Your mom left?" Haley asked in surprise.

"Not really, she works for a foundation so her reason for being gone is business but she's still gone," Nathan replied, shrugging. "I actually wish my dad would leave."

Haley laughed. "We have something in common then," she said, referring to the fact that their parents sucked.

"Parents," Nathan shook his head in amusement. "Who needs 'em?"


End file.
